This site documents and analyses the rapid growth and modernization of the Red Chinese Navy, known as the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN), and puts it in perspective relating to the US Navy in the Western Pacific (WESPAC) inparticular. In 2015, as a result of large growth between 1997 and 2009, and it cotinueing since, the Chinese Navy, for the first time, is near numeric parity with the overall US Navy, and significantly exceeds the US Navy in terms of numbers in the Western Pacific. This is due to rapid growth in new PLAN vessels, and relative slow decommissioning of older PLAN vessels. The numbers of new, modern PLAN DDGs, FFGs, and FFLs, continues to grow rapidly. Nonetheless, when comparing workhorse combatants (Nuclear attack subs, AEGIS guided-missile destroyers and cruisers, aircraft carriers, and major amphibious combatatnts the US retains a qauntitative and qualitative lead. But the capabilities of the many PLAN lighter, modern guided-missile FFGs and FFLs, and their large and modern non-nuclear sub fleet, poses significant challenge to the US Navy, Use the links to navigate the site to areas of interest. The table below represents, in general terms, the relative growth of both fleets over the last eighteen years and summarizes the percentage growth or shrinkage, and their relative sizes.
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